First observations of Australian Sarus Crane Antigone antigone gillae pairs attending three young and the incidence of three-egg clutches in the Brolga A. rubicunda

Abstract

Clutch-size in gruine cranes is consistently two. Clutches of three eggs are very rare, and records of adults supporting three young even more so. We report two observations from the Atherton Tablelands, far north Queensland, of pairs of Australian Sarus Cranes Antigone antigone gillae accompanying three juveniles. Their ages and the behaviour of the groups suggested family relationships. These are the first observations implying that Australian Sarus Cranes may raise three young, and are more likely to be explained by successful three-egg clutches than by adoption. Very little is known of nests and eggs of wild Australian Sarus Cranes and further studies would contribute to the conservation of this crane. More three-egg clutches than expected were identified in Brolgas A. rubicunda , particularly in the Ayr–Townsville region of northern Queensland, where the current breeding status of this species is uncertain.